A South Florida health care company that was overpaid millions by the state for a COVID-related contract is going to pay the state back.
Trinity Health Care Services, which was contracted by the state to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations, recently settled a lawsuit filed against it by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, court records show. Trinity agreed to pay the agency $5,624,659.43 over the next several years.
But it’s going to do so in installments.
According to the lawsuit, filed in Leon County and settled April 9, FDEM entered into a contract with Trinity for $50,578.50 in 2021, but the agency instead paid the company $5,057,850 to Trinity – an overage of five million bucks.
At the time the contract was signed, the CEO was Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, now a member of Congress and the subject of an unrelated House ethics complaint.
Edwin Cherfilus, who was the CEO of Trinity at the time of the lawsuit and is now the vice president of operations, is the congresswoman’s brother. Requests for comment from the state are pending, and an email sent to Trinity bounced back.
Trinity ‘required to return any overpayments’
As previously reported, the state argued that Trinity, as a contractor, “was required to return any overpayments of invoices for work not actually performed and money not actually owed.”
According to the invoices attached to the lawsuit, many were submitted and paid in 2021. The letter to Trinity demanding repayment, however, was dated June 13, 2024.
Trinity denied the allegations and the two parties agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the cost of future litigation.
The company agreed to pay:
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Ana Goñi-Lessan, based in Tallahassee, is State Watchdog Reporter for USA TODAY – Florida. She can be reached at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: After decimal error cost Florida $5M in COVID vendor deal, company agrees to repay state
Reporting by Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
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